This invention relates to exercise machinery, and more particularly, to devices suitable for stretching muscles of the thigh.
In several sports activities, particularly the martial arts, the ability to perform various kicks and other maneuvers requiring extreme movement of the thigh muscles, and particularly the adductor muscles in the interior of the thigh, is of paramount importance. In addition to utilizing free stretching movements, various exercising devices or machinery have been developed to assist one in stretching the adductor muscles of the inner thigh, and also to some extent the quadricep muscles at the front of the thigh, the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh, and the abductor muscles at the outside of the thigh. U. S. Pat. Nos. 4,277,062; 4,456,247; 4,647,040; and 4,445,684 all disclose exercise devices which aid in stretching the inner or abductor muscles of the thigh. In the main, these devices work in only a single plane and involve the use of ropes, cables and the like to provide tension in the devices.
A need has arisen for an improved and simplified thigh muscle stretching machine which provides infinitely adjustable positive movement of its pivotally mounted stretching members and which is adapted for pivotal movement in more than one plane.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, generally stated, to provide a new and improved thigh muscle stretching device.